[Vision2020] Grandmother Mtn land exchange

[Ron Force]

You can see the proposal, including maps at:

http://www.idaholandexchange.net/index.html

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Ron Force          Moscow ID USA
rforce at moscow.com
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-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]On Behalf Of Mark Solomon
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2004 8:36 PM
To: Donovan Arnold; vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Grandmother Mtn land exchange


My mistake... I automatically entered into the 
world of agency speak after reading some of the 
underlying documents. Should have walked around 
the block before writing the group.

>From the top:

The Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, 
and the Idaho Department of Lands are holding a 
meeting to present a proposed land exchange that 
primarily effects the ownership of the public 
lands in the Boise Foothills. But to make it all 
balance value wise, other "miscellaneous" lands 
get tossed into the mix including the core of the 
roadless area on Grandmother Mountain outside 
Clarkia. Can't say if it's a good or bad deal as 
I haven't seen the final maps.

But I'm always suspicious of processes that 
appear to be on a fast track. This deal, which 
has been simmering for a few years, suddenly has 
legs with the announcement of a deal being 
reached just today by Gov. Kempthorne, public 
comment meetings in three locations around the 
state next week and likely fast action by our 
Congressional delegation as the Grandmother Mtn 
part of the deal requires undoing some previous 
interim wilderness study designations that 
offered some protection from motorized 
recreation, logging, etc. IF the wilderness study 
designation or some similar language stays 
attached to Grandmother (the closest roadless 
area to Moscow) then this may turn out to be 
fine. But there's lots of other trading of small 
parcels in Latah County between the exchange 
partners that may change the landscape view 
depending on who controls the chain saws.


Wednesday, September 22, 2004 6pm-8pm in the 
University of Idaho College of Natural Resources 
Building, Meeting Room #200

Mark